The region’s main tourist board, Great Ocean Road Regional Tourism (GORRT), says the present name — Tower Hill State Game Reserve — is inappropriate for a site which attracts a significant number of international visitors wanting to see wildlife and enjoy an indigenous experience.

It also says the visitor infrastructure and maintenance are “grossly inadequate”.

It has suggested the reserve’s status could be changed to allow investment and management through a public-private partnership, creating a wildlife park of international standard with integrated visitor facilities.

“The importance of this park is its ability to draw visitors beyond Warrnambool, thereby increasing the length of stay and potentially adding an extra visitor night.”

The comments come in a draft 10-year master plan which has been released for public comment until June 22.

GORRT says a key challenge for the region is to reduce the strong “month-to-month seasonality” in domestic overnight tourism, which is particularly evident each January.

“This problem reduces investor returns, increases skill and staff shortages and reduces the incentives to train long-term employees.” Figures show the Great Ocean Road region attracted nearly 2.6 million domestic day-trip visitors last year who spent an average of $101 per trip.

The 1.9 million domestic overnight visitors stayed an average of 3.3 nights and spent an average of $136 per night.

There were also 119,000 international overnight visitors who stayed an average of 4.9 nights and spent $97 per night on average.

GORRT says the master plan highlights a range of “affordable, achievable strategies and actions with new infrastructure and investment” designed to increase the economic spin-off from tourists. 

Other ideas include:

n relocating the Port Campbell Visitor Information Centre as a trail head for the proposed Twelve Apostles Trail;

n upgrading the Port Campbell townscape and visitor amenities;

n improving toilet facilities at the Twelve Apostles car park;

n upgrading the Great Ocean Walk to an international standard walking trail;

n developing the Lake Condah/Budj Bim National Heritage Landscape project;

n finding solutions to car parking congestion at popular beach locations;

n creating a regional food, wine and beverage plan, a regional events strategy and a conference plan; and

n encouraging investment to reinvigorate key attractions including Flagstaff Hill.